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U.S. SENATE: If you want a competitive U.S. Senate race in November between bipartisan moderates, Democrat U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally need to win the August primary. Any other combination of candidates will make the race more lopsided, less competitive – and probably less interesting for Arizona’s 1.2 million independent voters. Arizona Republic

GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS: An historic teacher strike in April made education the big issue. Gov. Doug Ducey argues he raised teacher pay with Prop. 123 and his '20 (percent) by 2020' pay hike. Challenger Ken Bennett says the governor broke the budget with that scheme and is now using gimmicks to balance it. Bennett is late to the game and unseemly in his macabre criticism of John and Cindy McCain. Ducey, a cautious technocrat, has steadied the state’s fiscal ship. Arizona’s economy and jobs are on the upswing. And he has earned the support of GOP primary voters. The Republic

GOVERNOR, DEMOCRATS: Three strong candidates want to run against Doug Ducey in the fall. The best is David Garcia, who has built his campaign on public-school investment and his own sizable background as an educator. Steve Farley is a state senator and artist who reflects the more centrist tones of establishment Democrats. He would improve schools by ending corporate tax loopholes, not raising taxes. And Kelly Fryer, a YWCA CEO, is a take-no-prisoners leftist who would improve district schools and make charter schools 'rare.' Brian Munoz/The Republic

SECRETARY OF STATE: This office shouldn’t generate headlines, but it has under Michele Reagan. She ran on a platform of political campaign transparency and innovation and on both counts, her efforts have been uneven. More dramatically, there were mistakes in carrying out elections - some of them major, others overblown. Reagan has owned them and has made strides to bring the office into the 21st century. The progress is respectable enough at least to qualify her for the general election. Arizona Republic

EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT: The office requires a strong administrator – and deserves someone who can effectively advocate for district and charter schools. Republican Jonathan Gelbart (not GOP incumbent Diane Douglas) and Democrat David Schapira are best prepared to do both. And - bonus! - they'd focus the debate leading up to the general election on ideas, not ideology. Arizona Republic

CORPORATION COMMISSION: Almost every candidate in this race talks about the need to infuse the office with integrity - specifically, changing the image that regulators aren’t in the back pockets of powerful utilities like APS. What separates the 5 Republicans and 3 Democrats isn’t so much their approach to the job than their background. On the GOP side, incumbent Justin Olson is a solid choice (but not incumbent Tom Forese). Former commissioners Bill Mundell and Sandra Kennedy are the best of the Democrats. Tom Tingle/The Republic

TREASURER, REPUBLICAN: This office manages an investment portfolio of about $15 billion and makes sure funds are available to pay the bills - a job that demands accuracy and a steady hand. Political novice Jo Ann Sabbagh links herself to Donald Trump and aims sharp attacks at her opponent, former state lawmaker Kimberly Yee. She also gets facts wrong. Yee has a reputation as a hard-working lawmaker who was willing to push back against political orthodoxy in the public’s interest. The Republic

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6: This district may be a Republican stronghold. But the House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP incumbent David Schweikert, and Democrats finally put up three strong candidates to make this a competitive race. Anita Malik's business focus makes her the best to challenge Schweikert in a district that includes Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Cave Creek and northwest Phoenix. Arizona Republic

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 9: If Republicans want to flip the seat vacated by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, Steve Ferrara has the best chance of doing it. This district, which includes parts of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Phoenix, is equally divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents and needs someone who can reach across the aisle to get things done. While Ferrara may not be the most charismatic candidate, he is the most likely to work with political opponents. Handout

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Most coverage of this race has focused on how McSally has moved right – particularly on immigration – to make herself more competitive in a three-way race with former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

McSally disputes this characterization, saying she has always touted strong border security and that she has voted with Trump’s position on issues 97 percent of the time.

But McSally is speaking more favorably these days about the president she once distanced herself from. And she did remove her sponsorship from a more moderate bill to protect DACA recipients from deportation and join Republican-only efforts to tie DACA with border wall funding, which also were unsuccessful.

That puts her in a precarious position, should she win the primary, because while some on the right have said she hasn’t moved far enough right to be a true conservative, others on the left have criticized her for moving too far that way, making her out of touch with most general-election voters.

McSally has been walking that tightrope for months.

So, is immigration the main issue?

Yes, and that makes sense for a border state like Arizona, which acutely experiences the benefits and consequences of legal and illegal immigration.

Arizona is home to a large number of “dreamers,” those who were brought to this country illegally as children, and has about 4 percent of the nation’s DACA recipients, who were granted temporary work permits to remain in the country.

That program is expiring, and for months Congress has been arguing over what to do to help them – and which party is to blame for the inaction.

Whoever wins this seat will be a key vote on future immigration legislation.

Ward has been most vocal in her support for a border wall, saying that it must be funded before we offer what Ward calls amnesty to DACA recipients.

Arpaio did not meet with The Republic or complete our candidate questionnaire, but his website touts both the border wall and additional measures to secure the border. He also has said that DACA recipients should be deported.

Where do they stand on other issues?

Let’s face it: If you’re voting for Arpaio, you probably don’t care where he stands on tariffs. Even as sheriff, he was long on bluster and short on specifics. So, not surprisingly, there are a lot of blanks in his platform. But as for McSally and Ward:

Both want to keep NAFTA, citing its benefits to Arizona farmers and manufacturers, but say the trade agreement should be updated.

Both say they would vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and note that, in general, justices should interpret the Constitution based on its authors’ original intent.

Both say they’d vote to make temporary tax cuts on individuals permanent. Ward says she’d lower the corporate rate even further and do more to consolidate tax brackets. McSally said she’d keep the corporate rate where it is and only that the tax code is something to continuously update.

Ward calls Obamacare a “cancer” and wants to repeal it; McSally initially signaled support for a repeal but then signed on to a bipartisan fix, saying you fight the battle you’re in, not the one you wish you had.

Has McSally really changed her stripes?

Of the three GOP candidates, McSally is the only one with experience making policy in Congress. She has a track record of working with folks on the other side of the aisle to get things done.

Sure, most of McSally’s accomplishments in the House have been smaller bills. But in this hyper-partisan atmosphere, even passing small-scale bills is a feat.

McSally has been vague throughout the primary. She has no "issues" section on her website, did not fill out our candidate questionnaire and is refusing to debate Ward.

That's disappointing, because this is an open Senate seat. Voters deserve as many specifics from the candidates’ own mouths as possible to make an informed choice.

Maybe McSally is pulling a John McCain (remember his “build the danged fence” moment?) to survive a hotly contested primary from two conservative challengers.

If she wins the primary – McSally is the best qualified of the three for a Senate seat, though Ward has more command of the issues than many give her credit for – we hope she pivots back to being the bipartisan fighter from a swing district.

The Senate needs more people like her with the ability to represent diverse constituents.